Japan Airlines suffers battery problem on Dreamliner flight November 11, 2013 JAPAN Airlines said that a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Helsinki to Tokyo experienced problems with the same type of battery that caught fire in Boston in January and grounded the 787 fleet worldwide for three months. The JAL website said yesterday that the battery on a flight on Friday did not overheat or emit [...]
Apple to follow Samsung with curved screen November 11, 2013 APPLE is developing two new iPhones to be released in the second half of 2014 with larger displays and curved glass screens, according to a report from Bloomberg. Samsung’s Galaxy Round was the first smartphone to feature a curved screen when it was shown off earlier this year, however the firm is yet to give [...]
KPMG sets up fund to invest in tech firms November 11, 2013 ACCOUNTING giant KPMG is making its first move into investment management by setting up a fund focused on providing early-stage capital to data and analytics firms. KPMG said the London-based fund, named KPMG Capital and not open to outside investors, will acquire and set up partnerships with data companies worldwide. Several offices in the global [...]
Businesses choosing vocational skills over academic experience November 11, 2013 EMPLOYERS are increasingly placing weight on vocational qualifications over academic qualifications, according to a report by The Edge Foundation and City & Guilds out today. Over half of the 1,000 small, medium and large business contacted as part of the report said vocational qualifications were most important in preparing young people for work. “In recent [...]
Government services still using premium rate phone numbers November 11, 2013 CALLERS to government-run services are still being forced to pay for premium rate numbers, and departments are not even sure they are getting a good deal on their phone lines, a report out today claims. A third of phone lines for government services go through higher rate numbers, costing callers £56m in the last financial [...]
Zhaikmunai’s £1.5bn London float imminent November 11, 2013 KAZAKH oil and gas explorer Zhaikmunai’s long-awaited £1.5bn London flotation may launch as soon as this month, City A.M. understands. A final decision on the timeframe has not yet been made, but it is thought that the company could feasibly list on the main segment of the London Stock Exchange in the next few weeks. [...]
GCP teams up with Exotix to launch Gulf infrastructure fund November 11, 2013 GCP SOVEREIGN Debt Infrastructure, a UK-based investment firm, is launching a $250m (£156m) debt infrastructure fund to provide financing for major power and water projects in the Gulf, it emerged yesterday. GCP, which plans to list on the London stock market’s specialist fund market by December, has partnered with frontier markets investment bank Exotix on [...]
Lending to housebuilders down since the launch of Help to Buy November 11, 2013 LENDING to housebuilders has shrunk by 10 per cent in the last five months, despite the launch of the government’s Help to Buy scheme to stimulate activity in the new build housing market. Net lending to residential construction firms has fallen from £4.64bn in March to £4.19bn in August, according to an analysis of Bank [...]
UK’s biggest 350 firms showing a return to growth November 11, 2013 THE UK’s biggest 350 companies are mirroring the British economy’s nascent return to growth after companies on the index saw a steady rise in annual sales, fresh research out today shows. According to the latest year-end numbers from FTSE 350 firms that reported in the three months to September 2013, overall revenues are up 1.3 [...]
Lack of preparation leaving British companies vulnerable November 11, 2013 ALMOST half of UK businesses are vulnerable to a range of risks that they face, leaving them open to fraud and other threats, according to a worrying survey. The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) reveals today that 45 per cent of internal audit chiefs say their firm’s awareness of risks are in their early [...]
